Gold mining and the life of gold miners in South Dakota, as seen by the mining company.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Sponsor: Homestake Mining Company
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Mining; Metals: Gold; South Dakota: History and culture

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 25, 2005
Subject: There's gold deeeeeeeeep in thar hills!
Not bad detailing of how the Homestake mining corperation gets gold out of their mine. BUT FIRST! We see images of General Custer.. why, I am not sure. We then are shown the history of gold discovery in the state yadayada, finally, the film gets started, and the film tells me something I didn't believe at first, but yes, the miners go 4000 feet below ground level to grind ore out! Wow! Neat. Anyways, an EXCELLENT overview is shown of how ore is drilled and brought up to surface. You may think this would have been boring (including me) but really, this was too fascinating! Anyways, the rock comes up and is grounded (bad bad ore!) and grinded some more until its a powder, mixed up with water, then somehow, I can't remember, gold is extracted from that. From there, it gets somewhat less interesting as all of a sudden, they shift to the miners themselves, the bowling alleys they have, and what a nice town the mine is in.
Pretty good middle, the ends I could've done without.

Reviewer: cashel - - September 26, 2003
Subject: exciting
An epic story of gold mining . b/w film with excellent photography.. Part 1 starts with a very brief history, including gen.custer

Shotlist

PANNING FOR GOLD PROSPECTING IN SOUTH DAKOTA.
The excellence, cleanliness, efficiency, safety and concern for community well-being of the Homestake Mining Company. Footage of gold and coal mining, explosives, milling operations and life in the town of Homestead, South Dakota.

Stock shots:
Gold mines are indicated on the map of South Dakota by flickering points.
Map of South Dakota showing the route of General George Custer in 1874. Historical recreation of Custer; pickaxes; panning for gold; gold miner; miner smoking pipe;
architectural drafting
The mining camp of Lead. models of how to open up new gold shafts; miners working; drilling through rock; giant gears; Ross plant; use of shortwave radio in mine; 4000 feet into the earth; animation of mining practices; drilling holes planting dynamite; many cars of ore; erecting pillars; three-dimensional model of mine (with little toy miners in it)
animation of action of crushing machine. Many ore crushers e.g. cutaway of rod mills; pouring gold into ingot molds
gold in solution; piece of gold in a palm leisure; shooting pool; swimming pool; bowling; Homestake band; Homestake Coal Mine explosive charges; explosions; Homestake's two hydroelectric plants;

Voiceovers:
"A pathless wilderness, wild, rugged that was the Black Hills of South Dakota in the early 1870s."
"Clean, fresh air every minute of the day for every man under ground."
"The successful mining of marginal low-grade ores depends on holding costs to an absolute minimum."
"Through selective cutting and reforestation there is no denuding of the forests."
"Yes there's plenty of timber and plenty of beauty in the Black Hills for the generations of today and the generations of tomorrow. "
"Happiness abounds and why not? They are happy, happy in the service of a company of which they are a part. Secure in the knowledge of constant stable employment. Employment which is maintained a steady level through the years regardless of the trials of the times. "
Coal is used for the power plant at Homestake.
"everything completely automatic clean and efficient"
Tree being felled; Shout of "timber" logging; sawmill; one year's supply of lumber; "
An accident rate only one half of that of the American mining industry as a whole.
Role of Homestake in community.

09:06:31
South Dakota landscape with local map of South Dakota superimposed over it.
09:06:54
19th Century men on horseback superimposed on landscape.
09:06:59
CU hand writes letter in very neat script. He signs it Samuel Custer.
09:07:32
Panorama of Black Hills.
09:07:59
Pick ax digging in soil and rock. Shovel digging in soil and rock. Oil prospector panning for gold, smoking pipes, looking for gold in stream (good shots).
09:09:00
Modern South Dakota gold mine machinery, draftsmen, lab technicians.
09:11:50
Elevator drops into mine. Miners in tunnels.
09:13:11
Heavy machinery. Man operates elevator. Big wheels turn as cable unwinds. Arrow turns on disk. Elevator arrives 400 feet down.
09:14:30
Miners with lights on hard hats in mine tunnels. Drilling. Blasting. Rocks on mine trains moving on rails through tunnels.
09:22:08
Rock containing gold being processed. Heavy industry.
09:30:35
Welding
09:31:12
Steam shovel moving earth. Blasting for coal, explosion. Coal mine. Power plants. Electric generators.
09:33:20
Men cutting down trees. Logging. Tractor hauling trees. Lumber trucks. Lumber mills. Timber.
09:35:20
Nurses in hospitals. Man in diving suit.
09:36:06
Men play pool in pool room. Men swim in indoor swimming pool. Women bowling. Library reading room. Men play chess and checkers. Elderly man CU. VS of uniformed band: drums, sousaphones, conductor. Children playing. Suburban houses.
09:37:40
Montage of men smoking cigars and smiling as flags pass by (strange old men). Hard hats superimposed with American flag. Miners and American flag (good shot).
THE END

¥ 29:05:02- 29:25:19
Interesting b&w graphics of the state of South Dakota with specific cities indicated and dots popping up and flickering (representing gold). Behind the map is real land, sky, and beautiful clouds. Camera pans the landscape and the map remains atop the moving image.

¥ 30:00:16- 30:32:15
Another strange image of a map with blinking dots laid over real South Dakota landscape. Camera slowly pans across the land (green hills) to the the right and then to the left.

¥ 30:57:05- 31:22:16
Series of shots of Lead, SD starting with a zoom-in of unspoiled land, fading into image of mining town built into the land, fading to several modern buildings in the town, and ending with a broad pan of the town. Visually shows development of the mining town.




SOUTH DAKOTA MINERALS GOLD PROSPECTING PANNING AMERICAN WEST BADLANDS MINING INDUSTRY EXCAVATION
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